Luxurious Poon Choi/Pen Chai
Poon Choi (盆菜) is a traditional Chinese festive dish featuring a delightful assortment of luxurious ingredients, elegantly presented in a large pot.
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Serves: 4-5 servings
Total Cook Time: 70-90 minutes
Poon Choi (盆菜) is a traditional Chinese festive dish featuring a delightful assortment of luxurious ingredients, elegantly presented in a large pot. Typically, it includes abalone, sea cucumber, scallops, prawns, roast pork, and fish maw, among other delicacies. With Uncle Luk abalone, this dish is elevated to new heights of luxury.
Ingredients
Seafood:
- 1 can Uncle Luk Abalone
- 150 grams sea cucumber
- 8 to 10 large prawns
- 10 to 15 small scallops
Meat:
- 200 grams roasted pork
- 200 grams roasted duck
Meatless Protein:
- 80 grams fried tofu puffs
- 50 grams pork skin
Vegetables:
- 200 grams daikon
- 5 broccoli florets
- 1 small carrot, sliced at an angle
- 5 to 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 napa cabbage leaves, cut into large chunks
Sauce:
- 500 ml chicken stock (250 ml separately for sauce and soup base)
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Method:
- Rinse and rehydrate the sea cucumber by boiling or pressure cooking. Use scissors to cut through the back of the prawns to remove the veins, leaving the heads and shells intact.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Use a slotted basket to reheat the abalone for 3-4 seconds (as Uncle Luk canned abalones are pre-cooked) and set aside. Briefly cook the scallops, and then the prawns until they turn pink. Remove and set aside.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until softened and plump.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli and carrots for 2-3 minutes, then refresh in ice-cold water.
- Cut the daikon into 1/2-inch slices and napa cabbage leaves into large chunks.
- Pour the chicken broth into a large clay pot. Add the napa cabbage and daikon, and simmer for about 10 minutes until soft. Layer with mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, sea cucumber slices, and pork skin. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Lower the heat to keep warm while preparing the sauce.
- Bring the broth to a boil, add oyster sauce, cooking wine, and sugar. Simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture until the sauce thickens. Keep warm.
- Assemble your poon choi by layering prawns, abalone, broccoli florets, carrots, roast pork, roast duck, and scallops.
- Pour the thickened sauce over the entire dish and serve immediately. Enjoy the luxurious poon choi with your family!